{"id":305997,"date":"2021-09-17T21:44:48","date_gmt":"2021-09-17T11:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=305997"},"modified":"2021-09-17T21:44:48","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T11:44:48","slug":"agforce-backs-calls-by-rural-firies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2021\/09\/17\/agforce-backs-calls-by-rural-firies\/","title":{"rendered":"AgForce Backs Calls By Rural Firies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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AgForce CEO Mike Guerin (Photo: AgForce)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

September 17, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

AgForce has called on the State Government to give rural firefighters “the recognition and legal protection they deserve”.<\/p>\n

The call follows a submission from the Rural Fire Brigades Association of Queensland (RFBAQ) to an independent review into the future operations, structure and sustainability of the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service.<\/p>\n

AgForce says despite the uniforms and flashing lights, rural firefighters have no more rights under legislation than the general public.<\/p>\n

An example of the difference in empowerment is included in the RFBAQ’s submission to the KPMG review:<\/p>\n

“… Queensland volunteer firefighters are not classified as fire officers. To best show\u00a0the lunacy of this was during the Commonwealth Games where the local Rural Fire Brigades were part of\u00a0<\/em>the co-ordinated State emergency response and recovery plan yet had to drive their fire trucks on the\u00a0highway in the left-hand truck lane as they are not classified as emergency vehicles. <\/em><\/p>\n

“The RFBAQ offered\u00a0to bring up volunteer firefighters from NSW or Victoria, or any other State or Territory, as these volunteer\u00a0firefighters in Queensland are classified as Fire Officers but a Queensland volunteer firefighter in\u00a0Queensland is not. <\/em><\/p>\n

“The QFES attempted to solve this issue by giving a note to go in the glovebox of each\u00a0truck to show to police if requested.”<\/em><\/p>\n

AgForce gave another example:<\/p>\n

“The rural fire engine is not classed as an emergency vehicle because a Rural Fire Brigade volunteer is not an emergency officer \u2013 preventing it from parking next to a fire hydrant.”<\/em><\/p>\n

AgForce CEO Michael Guerin said it was time to stop treating rural firefighters like second-class citizens.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAlmost all of our members are impacted by fire management and have relationships with rural fire brigades,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just that these men and women put themselves in the line of fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s that these firies are almost all volunteers, battling blazes for sheer love of their local community.<\/p>\n

\u201cAustralia\u2019s unprecedented bushfires of 2020 have cemented its rural firefighters at the heart of the nation\u2019s identity \u2013 which is something no elected politician would be wise to ignore.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd yet the dismantling of the Rural Fire Brigades has been nothing short of appalling, leading to recent fire events being perversely hampered by declining volunteers and lack of support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe RFS only receives about 5 per cent of the total $800 million QFES budget.<\/p>\n

“How can the 30,000 brigade members who defend 93 per cent of Queensland feel valued by an organisation which clearly does not value them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor healthy landscapes AgForce members and the wider rural community need to be able to use fire proactively \u2013 therefore it is imperative that Queensland has a well supported Rural Fire Brigade volunteer network.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith an independent review now under way, we intend to do all we can to support the RFBAQ in its push for greater protection.\u201d<\/p>\n